Non-Canonical Amino Acids as Probes of Protein Synthesis in Complex Biological Systems

The genetic code, elucidated in the 1960s through the work of Nirenberg, Ochoa, and Khorana, provides a set of molecular instructions for turning DNA into proteins.  Over the last decade, cells have been outfitted with modified molecular machinery that enables them to use non-standard (non-canonical) amino acids to make proteins.  These developments are leading to new approaches to macromolecular design, protein evolution, biological imaging, and proteome-wide analysis of cellular processes.  This lecture will emphasize the use of non-canonical amino acids to analyze protein synthesis in time-resolved and cell-selective fashion in complex biological systems including live animals.